A Word From The Publisher

Garden City High School sports are having a banner year, with many teams making it into the playoffs. But if a bad idea among sports officials in other parts of the country gets around, we may not be able to bring you photos of those talented athletes.

Last week, the Illinois Press Association filed suit against the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), which oversees high school sports tournament games because the IHSA created a rule that limits photography at those games. Newspapers that want to receive a media pass are required to sign an agreement limiting the "secondary" use of photos taken during the event. Typically, photographers at games take many shots and only a few are actually used in print. Newspapers that sign the agreement are banned from providing copies of the additional photos to friends and families who might want them. Instead, the IHSA has engaged its own "official photographer" which has "exclusive and unlimited access to IHSA tournament locations." That firm sells copies of photos taken at high school sporting events on its web site.

What this really amounts to is that the IHSA, which represents public high schools, has decided to act like a professional sports league, eking out every last cent of profit from the kids performances.

The reason this case is relevant here is that we have learned that Nassau BOCES, which oversees playoff games, is considering a similar rule. Indeed, athletic officials there have told the freelance photographers who provide the Garden City News with outstanding sports coverage that they may no longer have media access to the games. We have been trying to resolve the situation with the officials, but as of press time they have not returned repeated phone calls or given us any explanation of their actions.

The freelance photographers are Garden City residents Phil and Lauren Davies, who have come up with a win-win-win way to improve the coverage of sports in Garden City. They attend games, take outstanding photos of the athletes, and provide some of the photos to us at no charge. This enables us to bring the residents of Garden City some amazing images, and allows families to see highlights of their kids' athletic prowess. The Davies take hundreds of photos at each game, and the additional photos are available for sale on their web site, www.newsphoto.com . Considering the huge amount of work the Davies put into the site, we think its great that they have found a way to offset some of their costs.

If BOCES does implement a rule similar to the IHSA's, the Garden City News is not the only newspaper to be affected. Many smaller papers use amateur or freelance photographs, and they will also have to limit their sports coverage. We think this is an idea that should not spread, and we urge our readers to contact the BOCES athletic department and make their views known. We have also contacted the New York State Press Association about this matter.

Make no mistake, Garden City's own coaches and athletic director have been very supportive of getting the athletes great publicity. They understand the value of good coverage so that the kids feel valued and the community feels proud of the athletes. To them, the kids are the important thing. But to the IHSA, the kids are a way to raise some more funds. Lets hope that our local BOCES athletic officials don't make the same bad choice.

Meg Morgan Norris

Publisher